Mary Douglas Hirsch, the City of Greenville’s real estate development manager, received Presbyterian College’s Outstanding Young Alumna Award as part of the school’s 2017 homecoming festivities on Saturday. According to the Presbyterian College Alumni Association, the award recognizes an alumnus or alumna under 40 years of age who demonstrates early competence within the chosen field of endeavor and exhibits exceptional promise of future achievement.
Hirsch received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Presbyterian College in 2001 and a master’s degree in city and regional planning from Clemson University in 2005. While at Clemson, she interned with the City of Greenville, and after graduation, she accepted a full-time position in the City’s Economic Development Department. She received her certified city planner designation from the American Planning Association in 2007.
For the past 12 years, Hirsch’s focus has been on downtown business recruitment and retention, project coordination, development agreements and public-private partnerships. She has also served as the City’s liaison to downtown business owners. During her tenure, she has received several professional awards, including the City of Greenville’s City Ambassador Award in 2006, Greenville Business Magazines’s 2009 Best and Brightest 35 and Under and the Greenville Chamber’s 2011 Young Professional of the Year Award. She is also a member of Leadership Greenville Class 42